


The Good Life

by lousy_science



Category: Creed (2015), Creed - Fandom, Rocky Series (Movies)
Genre: Gen, Post-Movie(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-27
Updated: 2016-02-27
Packaged: 2018-05-23 14:09:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6118825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lousy_science/pseuds/lousy_science
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bianca knows that there's not much that really matters to Donny. Fighting. Family. And his meals on cheat days.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Good Life

Bianca liked joking with Donny that they were both in the business of getting hits.

Pro boxing was just like the music industry. Bianca figured that she shouldn't be so surprised. Plenty of musicians went up quick and got knocked down fast, after all. Boxing had similar ways of working out who was on top at any time, all these stats and charts, hard numbers that got married up with the intangibles - buzz, hype, whatever - that fueled this big machine. You had to build your own machine to work within it.

She sweated over streaming and download numbers, about doing a gig with a bad promoter, and at the same time she saw Donny on a similar circuit, with his own crew. Both trying to make a thousand decisions while keeping their central thing intact.

Now they had to carve out their time together carefully, slicing it up between fights and training, between recording and shows. People paid more attention to the two of them now, but they decided together on what was going to be their normal. What they wanted to maintain, and what could be let go.

Which meant they always made time for Sunday night dinner.

\- _Meatloaf and mashed potatoes_

The message came through on her phone that afternoon. So the boy wanted comfort food, what a shocker. He'd been on steamed cod and kale all week, and had been bugging out about his upcoming cheat day.

\- _Sure. Green beans too. Chocolate pudding?_

A second later Donny sent a over a selfie with his eyes rolled back in his head and mouth open, tongue sticking out the side of his mouth. Doofus.

She sent a wink back. Then added,

\- _I got the meatloaf makings already. Can you pick up the rest of the stuff?_

\- _yeah_

And five fist-bump emojis, to show it was locked in. Donny's trips to the grocery took forever. He'd squeeze the produce, make the checkout ladies beam with his manners, and remember the reusable bags. There were always people wanting to stop him for a dap and a pic. Bianca knew he loved every second, but she also knew he had to pretend that he was only doing it all as a favor for her.

Rocky would put on some music whenever Bianca came over to cook. The albums were all Adrian's, and seeing the carefulness in his blunted fingers Bianca's chest hurt. Eventually he’d lift one up and call her over to ask, "How 'bout this?"

Donny never got a vote.

The first time he opened up the record cabinet, Bianca had assumed it would all be Perry Como and Frank Sinatra. Then Rocky held up a copy of Tapestry and she checked herself.

Smiling, she gave him two thumbs up.

"Definitely. Put it on."

"It's a good one, right?"

"Sure is, Rock."

The only time Bianca said no was to The Carpenters. "Too sad for dinner. Her voice was so perfect."

Nodding his shaggy head, he said, "Yeah, you're right about that. Adrian loved Karen."

Bianca shot a panicked look at D, thinking she'd said the wrong thing, but Rocky remained copacetic. He put on Exile in Main Street instead. The two of them danced around the table to Shake Your Hips while Donny pouted and set out the flatware.

Half the job was keeping Rocky from helping out and tiring himself. Bianca could feel how much he wanted to be useful, in that worried way of men who need to prove themselves over and over again. It was up to her and D to keep reminding him that he was off the clock. That they just needed him to be there with them.

If Rocky had to stay out of the kitchen, he'd try and make up for it with jokes and stories. The most special times were when he talked about his wife, their early days together, how they made their home. Tonight, as Donny sledgehammered through his meal, he was telling them about the time Rocky had bought the dining room table they were eating off of years back from a guy called Benjy Slotnick, who Adrian had called “The Wart”.

"Enough about all that. You two, you got plans?"

They exchanged looks. He was such a mother hen.

Rocky had talked to D about moving out. He'd messaged her the night the conversation had happened: _Unc says now his treatment's over I should think about finding a place on my own again_

She'd called him immediately. "You think he wants you to leave there?"

"I don't know." Bianca could hear the doubt in his voice. Rocky was sensitive about being a burden to anyone. As if his weight was more than Donny could lift.

Donny, she knew, just didn't care where he was. What he wanted amounted to about two, maybe three things at any time. To win right. To have his family be well. To eat all he wanted on cheat day. Anything else was only a minor consideration, not worth dwelling on.

He put his fork down long enough to answer Rocky. "We've made some plans, yeah. Was going to mention it to you later."

Rocky looked shocked. "Plans? What plans?"

Bianca took over. "Shacking-up-together-style plans. Out of wedlock, though, so if you're concerned about D's virtue, now's the time to say something."

"Hey, hey," Rocky threw his hands up, speaking up over Donny's laughter, "I'm of the free love era. Just not before a fight, you know that. Donny, when were you going tell me?"

"You can't move Bianca without her equipment and jawns. She's got that whole studio set-up to think about, so I let her pick the crib,"

She pointed at him. "You mean I'm doing all the work. Going round looking at all these broken-ass places, seeing that mildew, talking utilities,"

"Bianca, look, I know a guy, can set you up -"

She knew this was coming. Had told Donny it would happen sure as clockwork. Rocky would want to fix them up with a place. He'd get them a sweet deal, too, being who he was. But they didn't want him trudging all over Philly, checking pipes and asking about heating, having to make extra sure about every detail like he always did.

Donny stopped him. "Thanks, man. But we just signed a lease."

"You did? You did! That's great. That's something to celebrate. Where is it?"

She started spooning mashed potato on to her plate, deciding to forget how many sticks of butter Donny had snuck into the pot. "It's this little place, got a green roof. There's even a yard in the back,"

Donny added, "And I think a camellia bush."

"Yeah, D thinks it's got a camellia. He knows about camellias, it turns out."

"Well, I don't, but I am happy you have one. I guess that's a LA thing, Donny?"

Donny looked outraged. "You people! Plants can be more than food, you know."

Rocky tried again. "But where - "

Bianca interrupted him. "Inside, there's a room with good acoustics. Needs a little insulation. I've got a guy in Spruce Hill who's going to hook me up."

"We're gonna need new carpets, and curtains,"

"Oh god the carpets are so janky!"

Putting the mashed potatoes down, she couldn't help but smile as Rocky's eyes darted between them, so desperate to have his question answered, but also respecting the ritual of a meal. She continued, face serious towards Donny, "We need to get them done soonish, because Mary Anne will just not deal with those carpets."

"Yeah, Unc, did I tell you - Mary Anne's planning on visiting. She'll have a reason to wear one of those fur coats at last."

Rocky tipped back into his chair, looking a little winded. "That's wonderful news, Donny. Just great. And, Bianca, just where is this mansion located?"

"A street called - Kings-something?" Bianca looked to Donny. This was his reveal.

His smile stretched out a mile wide. "Kingstown Avenue. Number 17. You know it?"

Rocky's mouth was wide open, his words only catching up a few beats later. "Know - Kingstown? That's just down - " he jabbed his thumb behind him, as if it was in the next room.

Close enough.

He rubbed his hands on his chest. "Damn, kid, 17. Walked past it a million times. It's, what..."

"Five houses down. We counted. Hope you like Bianca's cooking."

"'Course I like it, what are you even - you want to be right over there? Next door?"

Bianca replied, "You think we chose it because of the camellia?"

Folding his mouth down, Rocky tilted his head. "I don't know. Might be a nice camellia."

Reaching for the remaining meatloaf, Donny shook his head. "You keep hating on my camellia, I might not let you in the door."

Rocky turned to Bianca. "He talking to me or you?"

"I'm not sure Rock." She heard the arm of the record player lifting off as the album ended. "I hope he's talking to both of us."

 

**Author's Note:**

> Title from both Kanye West and Carole King, which may be a first.


End file.
